Charming America
by woofwoofus
Summary: Before coming to Hogwarts, Filius Flitwick toured the world. His adventures brought him to many places, one of which was America of the 1960's. What sort of trouble will he get himself into?
1. Prologue: Chapter 1: Arrival

**Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Arrival**

AN: One night the song: 'Kids in America' made an appearance in my head. As I was humming it, my sister took notice and we spent a few minutes cracking jokes about it.

After a while, I made the joke "Flitwick in America". My sister and I both stared at each other.

Flitwick in America… That has potential.

I've been a part of the Fafiction community for quite a few years now, but never have I written one before. This then, is my first try at a fanfic.

'Flitwick in America' takes place before Flitwick becomes a teacher at Hogwarts… despite my best efforts, I couldn't find any specific date at which Flitwick started teaching, but I do know he was teaching the Marauders during their time at Hogwarts, which was from 1971 to 1978.

This is just a prologue and at this point in time, I have nothing else written. I do plan on continuing but my muse is a fickle female and quite lazy too. Inspiration might strike and when it does, I have every intention of being there to write it down. I do have a general story line worked out. Enjoy

* * *

In the early hours of the morning, Queens, New York, was a silent place. At a time when the vagrants and criminals finally went to sleep and the working class had yet to rise, the air was crisp and the grass ripe with dew. Spring had only just arrived and it was quite chilly, while the sun was just a barely visible glow on the horizon.

The streets were empty save for a few stray animals, and the sparse few neon signs half lit the empty sidewalks. The dark, narrow side streets were grimy and full of garbage. Homeless people sleeping under cardboard boxes and on dirty mattresses could barely contain their shivering against the cold morning breeze.

In the backyard of one of the stately middleclass houses in the neighbourhood, a cat sat on a fence. It had already been awake for some time. Not bothered by the cold air because of its thick fur, it sat proudly, grooming its shiny coat and cleaning its paws. Only concerned with its personal hygiene, the surrounding area was lost on the animal. Mornings were always the same for this cat. It was the only cat around and thus had free reign over the area. The last family with a cat moved away a few months ago and since then the cat hadn't had the need to patrol its territory. It was always quiet. Therefore, when a loud cracking sound ripped through the morning sky, the cat was immediately on guard, even stopping its grooming.

When, after a few seconds of waiting, no other sound followed, the cat resumed its usual morning rituals. When a few seconds later another 'CRACK' followed and then another 'CRACK', the cat decided there was indeed cause for concern. Nimbly hopping off its perch on the fence, it quietly slinked towards the source of the noise. Peering around a corner of the street, it caught a glimpse of a small figure, just beyond the beam of light from a nearby lamppost, bending over a suitcase. After a few seconds of internal debating, the cat decided to try to get closer to this strange thing in its territory. Inch by inch it crawled forward like a… well like a cat stalking its prey. More movement from the figure made the cat to stop in its advance.

The figure closed the suitcase with a snap and straightened out, just tall enough to qualify as a child. The figure then lifted the suitcase with its left hand and stepped into the light coming from the lamppost. The cat was intrigued by this figure. It was most definitely male and while it was as tall as the average six year old, it sported a light brown beard. Never had the cat seen a human child with such facial hair. The figure made no further movements so the cat decided to get closer. The male's clothes were strange too. He was wearing a dark brown winter coat and had a big, fluffy hat on, pulled right over his ears. His pants were just as fluffy as his hat and appeared to have been made of some type of animal. He was also wearing dark blue winter boots. While it was a cold morning, the cat doubted the little human had need of such protection. Deciding to make its presence known to the intruder, the cat stalked confidently forward until the man put his hand in his pocket and withdrew a finely polished stick.

Curious at what the little man was going to do with the stick, the cat stayed put, just outside of the yellow ring of light, cast by the lamppost.

The little man looked around for a bit, before nodding to itself and waving his stick in a complicated manner.

A bright flash of light later and the suitcase the little man was carrying was gone, as well as the cat who ran off, terrified of the man and his flashing stick.

The little man nodded contently and waved the stick again, this time changing his outfit.

The coat and hat melted away and made place for a black suit and top hat.

Smiling this time, the man put his stick away and looked around again. Content in the knowledge that no one saw him, he gave a deep sigh and started walking towards the tall city skyscrapers of Manhattan, whose tips were basking in the warm glow of the rising sun.

The city slowly came to life. The people awoke and started a new day, all getting ready for a new day of trouble, work and loud noises. The little man however, was not here to work.

'Such a promising start.' The little man thought, gazing at the city from the Queensboro Bridge. 'I think I'll like it here.' And with that thought, Filius Flitwick continued his trek into the city.


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting old friends

Ted Michaels was a simple enough man.

He grew up in down-town Manhattan in a small apartment complex. He was an only child, his parents never having enough money to afford more children. His father, Barry, was a baker and had been all his life. He inherited his bakery from his father, who started it when he moved here from England. His mother worked in a shop. The first steady job she's held for a while.

Ted wasn't the brightest lad. In school his grades were low average and he never went to college. Ever since he was young he'd been helping his father in the bakery. After finishing middle school, Ted found himself without any aspirations. His parents then decided that he should start earning his daily food and shelter so he continued helping his father in order to make a living. Every morning he would rise at around 6 am. His father was already up at about 4 to prepare the dough. Ted would walk the five minutes to the bakery and help George, his best friend, and Judy, George's sister in the shop. He would bake the bread and man the counter. At about 8 his father ended his shift to get some shut eye and Ted would work until 10 pm. After closing the shop he would walk back home, only stopping by the local grocery store to pick up a few things. His days were long, yes, but he made peace with his situation.

He knew he wasn't meant for greatness. Besides, he reasoned with himself, everyone needed to eat, even really important people. He was an integral part of society. Without him, no one would be eating delicious baked goods around here.

Thus Ted lived his life, the way he wanted to.

One morning, Ted went to the bakery as routine. He would be 23 a week from now and he knew his friends had planned a surprise party for him. He didn't mean to overhear George talking to Paul, the athletic boy from across the street whom Ted was friends with, but George was just so exuberant and loud that Ted would be surprised if the whole block hadn't heard him discussing their plan to distract him from 9 to 12 so they could prepare the living room for the party.

Ted snorted as he briskly walked through the narrow streets towards the bakery. George was so full of life, in complete contrast to his friend Judy. She exuded a sort of calm, assertive feeling. She would lean on the counter in complete relaxation as she chatted with the customers and moved gracefully through the shop.

Ted's cheeks reddened slightly as he thought of her. Ever since he met her, he'd had a crush on her but never had the courage to do anything about it. Her long black hair and red lips almost took his breath away every time he saw her. She still had a couple of freckles on her nose which just doubled her cuteness.

Maybe next week, after his birthday, he'll finally work up the courage to ask her out.

Yeah right... just like all the other times he'd told himself he would. Sighing again, Ted walked the last couple of feet to the door of the bakery. With a jingle, the bell over the entrance announced his arrival.

Judy was already there, kneading dough next to his father. She wore an apron and was almost covered in flower. She looked up as the bell rang and smiled at Ted.

"Hey, come help us back here will you!" she shouted at him.

Nodding quickly, he rushed into the kitchen, hanging his jacket on the coat rack and grabbing an apron from the stack. Tying it behind his back, he joined his father and Judy at the workbench.

"The water pipe sprung a leak and we've only just fixed it." Judy explained, panting slightly at the heavy work.

Barry grunted. His father was always like that, silent and gruff.

Barry was a large, muscled man, his arms toned from long hours of kneading dough. His face was clean shaven but his head sported a large amount of hair for someone his age. His face was heavily scarred. Every time Ted asked about them, his father would grunt and say: "From a fight a long time ago." Personally, Ted thought his father had a hard time learning how to shave.

Finishing another batch of bread dough, Ted picked up the heavy tray to slide it in the already burning oven. Suddenly, he saw a flash of light from the corner of his eye, that almost made him drop the tray. His father was instantly beside him to rescue the precious cargo.

"Pay more attention." He grumbled as he walked off again. Steadying himself, Ted turned to look in the direction of the flash but saw nothing. Placing the tray gently in the oven, he turned to Judy.

"Where's George?" He asked, wiping his sweaty brow on his sleeve.

Judy half turned towards him from her work kneading the dough. "He said he felt too ill to go to work today, the lazy ass."

Ted smiled slightly. That was another thing he liked about Judy. She always wore her heart on her sleeve. The image she created with most people was that of a shy, introvert little girl and it was always funny to watch the reaction on their faces the moment she opened her mouth.

"What are your grinning at?" Judy asked, also smiling. "You finally got laid?"

Shaking his head slightly, Ted made his way to the front of the shop to clean the dust that had settled overnight.

Grabbing a broom, he started sweeping the floor. From behind him, he heard his father grunt some instructions to Judy. She responded with in a rather cynical tone of voice and his father grunted again. Probably talking about my _surprise party,_ Ted thought. He wondered who was going to be there. It wasn't going to be a full room, that's for certain. He never really got around socialising with a lot of people. The only free day he had was Sunday, and that was usually spent resting from a long week of work.

He was pulled from his musings by the door bell ringing. Looking up from behind the counter, he saw an absolutely tiny person entering the shop. He was wearing a black suit and matching top hat. So surprised by the appearance of the little man, Ted almost missed the greeting he gave.

"Good morning young man." The customer said in a squeaky tone of voice.

Quickly pulling his face into a smile, Ted returned the greeting. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience sir, but due to some problems in the kitchen our usual stock won't be ready for another ten minutes." he said.

"That's quite al right young man. I'm not in any hurry." The little man answered. He smiled jovially at Ted and Ted couldn't help but smile back.

Judy came from the back of the bakery, attracted by the noise, and spotted the little smiling man standing in the store. Taking in his appearance and absolutely tiny stature, Ted noticed she had a hard time not bursting out into laughter.

"Wow, you're absolutely tiny." She said amazed. Ted felt his cheeks burning in shame. He was about to apologise to the man when he noticed his smile hadn't diminished in the slightest. In fact, he started laughing.

Judy took this as a good sign and moved next to the man, squatting down to meet his eye level. Scrutinising his face, she sat there silently for a few seconds, the little man looking right back at her, still with that smile on his face.

Eventually, Judy stood up again. "I'm sorry," she said, walking back behind the counter and leaning on it, facing the store front, "but our kiddy-loafs aren't finished yet."

The little man laughed again. "You, my dear child, are quite the little spitfire."

"What's going on here?" came Barry's loud, grumbling voice. Turning around, Ted saw his father coming from the back, his coat zipped up and his cap on. He looked around for the source of the squeaky voice and his eyes fell on the tiny man in his store. His eyes darkened a bit.

"Sorry sir, but the bread needs another five minutes." He said, a bit louder than was necessary. Ted became slightly confused. His father was always very customer friendly. What had caused him to

raise his voice like that.

"Like I told your employee, it's quite all right. I'm not in any hurry." The little man responded.

Judy took the momentary silence to address the man. "Sorry sir, but I never caught your name."

"Oh, how rude of me." The man said his voice a little squeakier than before. "My name is Filius Flitwick."

"That's a funny name you have there mister Flitwick." Judy said, smiling brightly. "I've never seen you before, you here on business?"

"No, not really, more of a holiday." The man said, looking thoughtful. "I'm busy touring the world, you see, taking in the sights, learning new cultures."

Judy gasped, her eyes shining. "Ooh, that sounds absolutely wonderful! Where were you before coming here?" She asked.

"I've just come from Russia," Flitwick said, his eyes gleaming with uncontrolled mirth. "An absolutely beautiful country, if you can get past the temperature that is."

"So why have you chosen our wonderful city of New York as your next destination?" Judy asked.

"Oh, chance really, but I've been curious about this city for a while now" Flitwick answered. "and I'm thinking of visiting a friend..." He trailed off, glancing over at Barry.

Ted looked at his father with surprise. Did he know this man?

Judy looked as if she wanted to keep asking questions but a small 'DING' from the kitchen pulled her attention away. "Sounds like the bread's ready!" She exclaimed, hurrying back.

Meanwhile, Barry had remained standing where he stood, his eyes still fixated on the little man, until he shook himself from whatever thoughts he was having. "I'm going home." He said to Ted. Walking across the room and opening the door. "Good day, mister Flitwick." He said and with that, left the store.

Ted barely had time to contemplate his father's strange behaviour when Judy called from in the kitchen. "Come help me carry this slowpoke!"

Hurrying to the back, Ted helped Judy unload the freshly baked bread from the oven. A minute later, they both came back, arms laden with piping hot bread. Laying it on the counter, Judy beckoned the small man. "The bread is ready sir, what would you like?"

"Just a simple brown, thank you." Flitwick said, his face still in that perpetual smile. Ted picked up a loaf and put it in a paper bag. "That'll be sixty cents please." Flitwick reached into his breast pocked and pulled out the necessary coins.

"Thank you, and good luck on your travels!" Judy exclaimed and waved at the small man. Flitwick laughed again and waved back, leaving the store.

Judy let out a big sigh. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to see the world like mister Flitwick?" She asked Ted.

"Yeah," Ted answered, not really paying attention. "It would." His mind was still with his father and his reaction to Flitwick. Did his father know the odd little man? Where had they met? Why had made his father act the way he did? Ted had a lot of questions and no answers. He decided to ask his father tonight. Hopefully he would get a straight answer for once.

All throughout the day, Judy was stuck in her fantasies about touring the world like mister Flitwick, so much so, that she almost let the kiddy-loafs burn.

At half past nine, they got ready to close the store. It had been a busy day and both of them were exhausted. Judy lay half asleep on the counter top and Ted was leaning on a broom, his eyelids heavy. Judy raised her head and looked outside. "Come on Ted," She said with a small whine in her voice. "no one's coming any more. Who would want to buy bread this late in the evening? How about we call it a day?"

Ted took one look at Judy's pouting face and he knew he couldn't say no. But his sense of duty told him to finish his shift. Making up his mind, he put the broom in a corner and walked over to Judy. "You can go home if you like, I'll close up here."

Judy's face brightened instantly. "Yay! Thanks Ted!" She shouted and gave him a hug. His face redder than a tomato, Ted awkwardly hugged back. After a few seconds, Judy released him, her cheeks also slightly red. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." She said.

"Yeah, see you..." Ted said lamely. Judy quickly untied her apron and grabbed her bright red coat. Opening the door, she waved at Ted and walked off. Ted was left standing there, still slightly surprised at the hug. Shaking himself mentally, he too untied his apron and turned off the lights. Grabbing his jacket, he fumbled in his pocket for the keys to the store. Stepping outside into the crisp evening air, Ted shivered slightly at the sudden drop in temperature. Locking the door to the bakery, Ted set off towards home, thinking about Judy.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a soft whimpering sound coming from a side alley. Stopping his brisk walk, Ted entered the alley. There, in the dim light provided by the apartment windows, towering above him, he saw four people. One was pressing the other one against the wall and the other two were standing slightly behind the first figure. Slightly scared at the situation he found himself in, Ted was about to continue and pretend he never saw anything, until the recognised the coat of the person held against the wall. It was Judy's.

Inching slightly closer, Ted could make out the other figures voices. They were definitely male and didn't sound very pleasant. It seemed as though the men were threatening Judy. Taking a few seconds to clear his thoughts, Ted debated on what he should do. On one hand, this was Judy, the girl he had a crush on. She was also his friend, and Ted was nothing if not loyal. On the other hand, Ted couldn't really call himself a capable fighter and the men holding Judy looked quite muscular.

"Well, well, well. Look what we caught here." The man holding Judy said, leering at Judy. "A cute babe walked right into our turf. What's a pretty little bird like you doing here at this time of the night? Are you out looking for some fun? Well we're pretty funny guys aren't we?" The other two laughed.

Judy's furious face was enough of an answer but she spit in his face anyway.

The man holding her wiped Judy's spit off his face with his sleeve. "Ooh, looks like we have a feisty one. I'm going to enjoy breaking you." He growled and tore off her coat.

Something inside Ted snapped. "Hey you! Let her go!" He shouted, suddenly feeling a lot braver. The three men turned to look at him and Ted's courage drained as fast as it had come. They were absolute monsters. Stubbly beards, broad chins, scars, piercings, chiselled muscles and two of them were carrying knives. This night just got a whole lot worse.

"Who're you then?" One of them asked, fingering his knife ominously.

Trying to regain his courage, Ted cleared his throat. "I'm a friend of that woman and you'd better release her." He said, his voice quivering slightly.

"Heh, we've got a regular hero here." The one holding Judy said. He turned back to her. "So, you know him do you?" Judy's face suddenly got a lot more fearful. "Ooh, so you're scared for him are you? Want me to rough him up a bit?" Judy shook her head as much as she could.

"That's too bad. Hey Jimmy, hold this broad for me." One of the men came forward. In the split second it took to switch hold, Judy took her chance. With a sudden wrench of her arm, she managed to pull it free and sock the first man in the jaw. He stumbled back and Judy tried to continue her momentum but Jimmy kicked her in the stomach. Gasping for breath, Judy collapsed to the ground.

"Judy!" Ted yelled, fear lacing his words. The first man wiped a little blood off his lip and laughed. "See, what did I tell you? She has spirit." Turning to Ted again, he said "All right then pretty boy. Show me what you got."

In a sudden burst of rage, Ted charged forward, every fibre of his being wanting to cause pain to the man who stood there with a cocky smile on his face. Throwing a punch with his right hand, Ted managed to hit the man in his chest. He reeled back a bit, but quickly recovered and grabbed Ted's no outstretched arm. Bending it, he forced Ted to the ground. Holding him in an arm lock, the man held his face close to Ted's. "Nice punch Romeo." Ted nearly chocked on the man's foul breath.

With a lurch of his strong arms, he managed to throw the man off him and he quickly rose from the ground. The man stood up as well and threw a left hook. Ted dodged out of the way and kicked the man in his knee forcing him onto his other one. Launching himself on the man, he tackled him to the ground and began throwing punches left and right. The third man, who had been silent so far, ran forward and grabbed Ted's arms, pulling him off his boss. The first man slowly got up, stumbling slightly and Ted felt proud as he saw the damage he caused him. The man regarded Ted with an angry look and scoffed. "Not bad, but now it's my turn."

The second man held Ted's arms behind his back, allowing the first man to punch him in the stomach. Bending over from the punch, he was quickly yanked back up and the first man punched him in the face.

Judy's eyes were fearful and shone with fresh tears. She turned her head away, not able to look at the punishment Ted endured.

A full minute of punching passes and Ted's vision swam. The first man finally let up his punches and smirked at the nearly unconscious Ted. "Well, that was fun, but I'm afraid this is the end." He drew his knife and stepped closer. Judy yelled for him to stop but the man had no intention of doing so. He raised his knife and was about to bring it down until he heard another voice.

"Let him go."

Angrily, the first man wheeled around. "Who's that? Come out, or I'll cut you up!"

From the shadows of the alley, a small figure stepped forward. It was Flitwick. The first man laughed at Flitwick's appearance. "What's a midget like you going to do to stop me?"

Making use of the man's momentary distraction, Ted managed to knock the man holding his arms back and jumped on the first man's back. The man was able to shake him off quickly and Ted landed painfully on the hard ground.

The first man barked a single laugh and turned back to Flitwick. Flitwick meanwhile, stuck his hand inside his pocket and pulled out a short, polished stick.

The first man stared at the stick before laughing again. Flitwick did not look amused. He raised the stick and flicked it down. A bright flash of red light later and the man fell unconscious to the floor. The other two men stared, their eyes almost bugging out of their skulls. Two more waves later and the other two men fell as well. Judy quickly got up and ran towards Ted, falling to her knees next to him. She pulled his head into her lap and hugged him tightly. Ted was still reeling from the pain and hardly noticed his crush hugging him.

Flitwick slowly made his way over and Judy, noticing his approach, tried to shield Ted's body from view. "Stop, don't get any closer!" She yelled.

Flitwick raised his hands in a gesture of peace and said "I only want to help him. Please, let me see him." Flitwick's imploring face was enough of a reassurance for Judy and she allowed Flitwick to examine Ted. Flitwick waved his stick over Ted and hummed to himself. "Yes... yes... I see." looking at Judy he said "Don't worry young lady, I'll fix him up in a jiffy." Waving the stick again, he muttered something and another flash of light erupted from the tip of the stick. Ted felt the pain clouding his mind suddenly lift and he opened his eyes to see Judy's face, a few inches away, tearfully gazing at his face. Ted felt himself blush even harder than before. Flitwick, apparently happy to see his treatment worked, was about to put the stick away when a pair of footsteps was heard on the other side of the alley.

Barry slowly came into view, also holding a stick, its tip glowing ominously. Surveying the situation, he saw three pairs of eyes on him. Sighing softly, he lowered the stick, the glow slowly fading away.

"An explanation of what the hell just happened would be nice." Ted said, piercing the silence.

Barry gazed at his son with resignation in his eyes. "Fine, but it's going to take a while."

"So you mean to say that magic is real, those sticks you carry are wands, you are a wizard and so is mister Flitwick and you two used to be duelling each other in competitions?" Ted summed up the conversation.

Ted had moved from his spot on ground to sit up next to Judy during Barry's monologue. Silence reigned for about thirty seconds until Barry sighed again. "Yeah, that about sums it up."

Ted shook his head. His life used to be so simple. "Does mom know?" He asked. Barry nodded. "So, am I a... a wizard?" Ted barely managed to utter the question.

"No." Barry said. Turning to Flitwick, he continued "You were born without magic. Your mother and I decided not to tell you. It would only make it harder to keep it a secret from other people and I never practised magic any more anyway, so there was no point in telling you."

A moment of what silent conversation passed between Barry and Flitwick, after which Flitwick gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Flitwick was smiling again which seemed to anger Barry. "I'm glad you're happy. This is going to cause hell with the ministry."

Flitwick chuckled. "Oh, don't worry about the ministry, I'll sort it all out. Now, would you do the honours?"

Barry lifted his wand and pointed it at the three men still lying unconscious on the ground. "Obliviate!" A bright beam of light sailed from Barry's wand and hit one of the men lying on the ground. Nothing seemed to happen but Barry repeated the spell another two times, hitting the other two men. Putting his wand away, he turned to Judy still sitting on the ground, now leaning against Ted's shoulder.

"Memory charm." He explained, seeing the two confused faces. "Can't have them blabbing this around. Now," He pointed a finger at Judy. "I hope we don't have to wipe your memory as well."

Judy shook her head furiously. "No. I won't tell anyone."

"Good." Barry said, pleased by her answer. Meanwhile, Flitwick busied himself with cleaning up the alley of all blood and arranging the three men in a row against the wall as if they just fell asleep there, waving his wand around merrily. Ted watched this display of 'Magic' and mouth fell open. Sure, he'd been told about it now, but seeing it actually happen was another thing all together. The sound of Barry clearing his throat made him swivel his head.

"I'll leave you two to your thoughts but I'm expecting you back in half an hour Ted. And you Judy, no more walking through dark alleys by yourself you hear." Barry said, his face in a rare smile. The two still sitting on the ground nodded and Barry walked away. Flitwick was done with his clean up and smiled at the two. "I trust you can handle it from here?" He asked.

Ted nodded and with a wink, Flitwick disappeared from sight. Picking his jaw up from the floor again, Ted turned to a still silent Judy. Meeting her eyes, his cheeks reddened again. For a few moments, neither of them made a sound and then they both started talking at the same time "Thank..." "I..."

Both of them looked away, abashed. Judy recovered first and said "Thank you. You were really brave back there."

Ted's cheeks became even redder. "Yeah, brave maybe, not competent" He muttered surly. Judy punched his shoulder. "You jerk, who cares if you got your ass kicked or not, you tried to save me either way." Then she flung her arms around his neck and kissed him straight on the lips.

Ted was stiff from shock. Slowly but surely, he switched from thinking to doing and pulled Judy close, returning the kiss. Maybe this night wasn't so bad after all.

Barry walked the last few steps to the door of his apartment, still fingering his old wand. He hadn't used it for quite some years now. Ever since... Shaking his head, he fumbled for his keys in his pocket. "How long are you going to stand there?" He said without turning around. Flitwick's form was illuminated by the low light coming from the light fixture above them.

Flitwick just smiled again, hopping from one foot to another as a marathon runner anticipating the starting of the race. "So, how are you..." He started but Barry cut him off. "You know bloody well how I'm doing." He growled. "I vowed to never have anything to do with the magical world and now you step in like a ghost from the past, acting as if nothing happened."

Flitwick's smile diminished somewhat as he recalled the incident. "Yes, although it's a bit late, you have my condolences."

Barry's head hung down, his hulking form shaking slightly. "She was everything to me. And those bastards killed her." He raised his head, revealing the tears streaming down his face. Flitwick smiled a sad smile. "But you moved on."

"Yes I did," Barry chocked back a sob. "But I never forgot her."

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry." Flitwick hung his head. "Just keep in mind that we tried everything..."

Barry interrupted Flitwick with a wave of his hand. "I know, but she still died. Please, just go."

"The boy will ask questions you know." "Yes, but I'll answer them in my own time."

Flitwick nodded and grabbed his wand. Before disapparating, he looked over at Barry one last time. "Have a good evening, mister Michaels." He turned on his heel and with a soft 'Crack' he was gone.

Barry stood there for another minute or two, before turning the key in the lock and opening the door to the apartment. He had some things to think about.

Whew! The story got a bit depressing there didn't it? This is just an introductory chapter. Next time we'll focus more on Flitwick. It'll be a while before we see Ted and Judy again but I wanted to get this done first.

Review and if you can, leave constructive criticism. As a writer, you just don't notice some things you did wrong but readers can be very quick to spot them. I want this story to be good so suggestions are also welcome.


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